Pure Appl. Biol., 8(1): 199-207, March, 2019 http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2018.700177 Published by Bolan Society for Pure and Applied Biology 199 Research Article Implication of light and scanning electron microscopy of foliar cuticular and palynological features in the correct identification of medicinal plants Nighat Seema 1* , Muhammad Hamayun 1 , Asad Ullah 2 , Muhammad Zakaria 3 , Raees Khan 4 and Omerkilic 5 1. Department of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan-Pakistan 2. Centre of Plant Biodiversity, University of Peshawar-Pakistan 3. Department of Botany, Govt Post Graduate College Mardan-Pakistan 4. Zoological Survey of Pakistan, Ministry of Climate Change, Islamabad-Pakistan 5. Vocational School of Technical Sciences, University of Bingol-Turkey *Corresponding author’s email: nssema777@gmail.com Citation Nighat Seema, Muhammad Hamayun, Asad Ullah, Muhammad Zakaria, Raees Khan and Omerkilic. Implication of light and scanning electron microscopy of foliar cuticular and palynological features in the correct identification of medicinal plants. Pure and Applied Biology. Vol. 8, Issue 1, pp199-207. http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2018.700177 Received: 02/09/2018 Revised: 24/10/2018 Accepted: 26/10/2018 Online First: 27/10/2018 Abstract Foliar epidermal anatomy and palynology of six medicinal plant species Catharanthus roseus L., Carum carvi L., Trachyspermum ammi L., Anethum graveolens L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill. and Nigella sativa L. are commonly used for different medicinal uses. Six medicinal species were used as an example and their foliar cuticular and pollen features were evaluated by light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Features allied to pollen grains (pollen type, colpi,and sculpture type) and foliar cuticular features (epidermis, stomata, and trichome) were found to be important examined characters. Pollen grain morphology of these medicinal plants revealed that the pollen is the prolate and per-prolate type. Their foliar epidermal anatomy revealed the presence of an anomocytic type of stomata in C. roseus, C. carvi and N. sativa, dicytic type in F. vulgare and anisocytic type in A. graveolens. Keywords: Medicinal plants; Palynology; SEM; Taxonomic identification Introduction Medicinal plants are in common use in most of the developing countries [1]. Plants are morphologically similar and correct identification in crude form is very difficult. The Foliar epidermis is one of the most significant taxonomic characters from the biosystematics point of view and the taxonomic studies of a number of families are made on the basis of leaf epidermis [2, 3]. The significance of pollen morphology in the taxonomy of Apocynaceae has been investigated by many researchers including Guinet, Mareues, Schill Nilssons and Van Campo [4-8]. Apiaceae, a family of about 300 genera and 3000 species is cosmopolitan in distribution, mainly in northern regions [9, 10]. In Pakistan, it is represented by 56 genera and 167 species [11]. The family is of considerable economic importance for food,